Turner County herald. (Hurley, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1887-06-23
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

AN Associated Press telegram from Wash
ington says: @The battle of the standards is
terminated and the captured flags of the dead
Confederacy will remain in the custody of the
War Department. President Cleveland on
Thursday sent the following letter in regard
to the matter to the Secretary of War:
II have to-day considered with moro caro-
thnn when the subject was orally presented
me, tho action of your department directing
letters to be addressed to the Governors OF all
the States, offering to return, II desired to tho
loyal States, the Union flags captured during
the war of the rebellion by the Confederate
forces and afterward recovered by Gov
States the flags captured by tho Union
forces. all Of which for many years have been
packed in boxes and stored in the eel
lar and attic of tho War Department. l am of
tho opinion that the return of the flags in the
manner thus contemplated is not authorized
by existing law, nor justified us an executive
act. request therefore. that no further steps
be taken in tho matter except to examine and
inventory these flags. and adopt proper meas
nrcs for their preservation. Any direction rs
to the final disposition of them should originate
with Congress. GROVER CLEVELAND.
SAT the request of Gov. Foraker, of Ohio,
that counsel should be retained to institute
legal proceedings to enjoin the return of the
Confederate flags to the Governors of the
Southern States, Gen Ii. V. Boynton had Sc
lected Hon Samuel Shellabarger, of Ohio,
and Hon George S boutwell,, of Massachu-
setts, to take charge Of the case Those gem
tlemen expected to have an application for
mandamus filed in the Supreme Court of
the district Thursday afternoon, but
were deferred by the non-receipt of nee
essary telegram from Ohio. Tho papers were
based upon the claim that tho Secretary of
War was about to dispose of public property
without authority of law. The letter of the
President made further action by the attor-
neys unnecessary" The protests of the
expressed indignation of the Grand Army of
the Republic over tho proposition to re-
turn the flags had tho effect to
stir up much feeling throughout the
country. Governor Rusk, of Wisconsin, tee-
graphed his protest to President Cleveland,
claiming that the trophies, if surrendered,
should be given up to the Statcs by whose
troops they wero captured. Governor Mar
tin, of Kansas, also wired his protest, alIeg-
ing that the scheme was San insult to
tho heroic dead: and an outrage on
their surviving comrades" The Grand
Army men throughout the entire West also
iihuo NiEoIous pIotestS ue following btnte-
ment with regard to the Presidents acton
concerning the proposed return of the battle
flags WAS made at the White House to rep
resentativo of tho Associated Press:
when the question wns proposed to the
PRESIDENT by the Adjutant General an impor-
taht feature suggested was the return to the
loyal States Of tho flags which had been cnp.
tured by the Confederates and retakon by our
army at the collapse Of the rebellion They,
with such Confederate flags as had been cap
tured from tho enemy by our troops had il
was represented, for n long time lnin unoared
for and neglected, packed away In boxes in the
cellar OF the War Department.. and had been
safe kooping.
AThe disposition OF the Nags which seemed to
be answering no good purpose whore thcy were
WAS the main point, and tho consideration was
presented to the President that some flags had
been returned to loyal States, upon their re-
quest In individual cases, and the rest, il de-
sired might as we'll bo returned together, Tho
return Of the Confederate flags which were
with tho others in the department was sug-
gested, but thero was not the slightest thought
OF interfering In my wny with the captured
flags now held by any State.
THE right Of the department to mako these
returns being questioned by the President, such
alleged, and thereupon his oral assent was
given to the proposed action. Tho matter WAS
dismissed from his mind until comment there.
upon within tho last day or two brought it again
TO his attention, when, upon personally exam
| lining tho law. and considering tho subject more
carefully, he satisfied himself that no disposi-
tion OF these flags could BIO mado without Con-
gressional action; whcreuron ho directed a
suspension OF operations by the letter made
public this evening"